affirmations

Once upon a time, I started a journal and acted AS IF what I wrote in the journal had already come true. I started adding in monthly goals, and then just writing throughout the month AS IF those goals came true. If I showed you my journal now, you would be amazed at the number of check marks beside each statement I wrote. Yes, they came true.

So before you guys think I am making this up, I kid you not, I started telling my girlfriends about it. We have a night we call “Sister circle” and it is a night we can bring crafts, stories, wine, or whatever, ha, to the table. I started telling them a while back about my journal. Then I started helping my friends journal…and even art journal, bullet journal or whatever, but they had to lay it all out there. Bare. No lies in the journal.

Since I started my journal therapy sessions, one girlfriend came back to yoga, started losing weight and unblocking her weight-loss well, block, another started healing internally from divorce, and countless other things have happened. I think the BEST thing that has happened, is that I thought they would be afraid to show me their journals, but they aren’t. That is huge. It means they are stepping into this truth that they write and owning it, which is part of the shift in thinking. We live from a place of now instead of fear. I was so proud of my girlfriend who wrote on weight loss that the first time she showed me her wall, I got teary. It was a huge shift. Oh, the wall she drew in her journal with all her blocks on losing weight.

5 Tips to Manifest Change in Your Life:

Practice gratitude each morning. I recently gave my talk in London about how at my darkest pain level, I started getting out of the bed and saying “thank you”. I talk to God, Jesus, Angels and the Universe, but you do whatever floats your boat. I don’t believe I have to make a choice in believing that God supports my decisions to get well only if I do x,y,z and therefore Law of Attraction type thoughts are wrong. Nope. He supports me.

I constantly realign my thoughts every single minute. I am no different from you. Each of us has the potential to think good or bad thoughts and dwell on them. Notice the thoughts and every time you think a negative thought, put a positive spin on it and float it down the river.

TAKE ownership of what is happening in your life. People most often blame others, their parents, God, the Universe, the Devil, your 5th grade teacher…or someone else. Umm. It’s you. Yup. It’s you. I know what you are thinking…I didn’t ask for this. Neither did I, read my about me to see what I didn’t ask for. Nevertheless, it was there. I couldn’t change my genes. I accepted the diseases and then finally, finally, began to move on. Yes, I spent countless hours researching and developing a plan to move forward and release myself, but still, I did something about it!

Write down a clear intention of how you want to feel. I started writing how I wanted to feel, and reading it nightly. I wrote what great things were coming to me. And I sat and felt those emotions. How I would feel in my new SUV and what it would be like to really have a new car. We desperately needed one, but here is a tip. You can’t manifest from desperation. I had to let all that go. Scarcity thinking. Nope. Abundant thinking. Yes. I have enough. I am enough. I wrote about the vehicle in December. In April, we bought a new SUV. My mini-van was literally falling to pieces by that time, but I let go of the thoughts of not making it down the road. I opened myself up to thoughts of a reliable vehicle and how that would feel.

Really and truly feel the gratitude AS IF it has already happened. Seriously, this one is so important that it started and ended my days. I said thank you every night. I blessed the goodness in my life nightly. I still do. I push allllll the other thoughts away and if for some reason I can’t, I go to yoga then I can think on what great things have happened. So have your routine. Go for a walk, pray, mediate, run, go to yoga, but think on the goodness of the universe because it is there. It is. Do good deeds and random acts of kindness as you go along, and you will really feel the boomerang effect of what you think you attract.

Lastly, because I believe in journal therapy so much, I added another bonus to my Head|Heart|Health Club, which really and truly gets you out of your head and into action!! The whole reason I designed it was for people who are stuck in their heads, hearts, and not able to move forward for their health. Much like I was in the beginning of this life-long journey to create the path I was meant to be on. I am there now and would love to have you join me!

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Increasing gratitude doesn’t seem like such a hard task, does it? Well for many people who live in pain daily, it is. But what if, just for the next 4 weeks, you focused on other tasks instead of your pain. Maybe you thought about ways to increase your fitness for a week, or to eat beautiful and nutritious food the next week, or ways to help create balance in your life and help deal with your stress, and lastly you increased your self-care. These are actually the steps I started taking when I took back my life from pain.

I began looking deeply inside my soul for true and honest answers to questions that needed to be asked. I developed a series of workbooks on these tasks and questions to help others, but you can read more about that under my Head|Heart|Health tab. I am here to offer you some free resources on ways you can increase gratitude in your life right now, no matter what is going on. Remember who you are talking to here?? trust me when I say I really and truly understand that the first step is often the hardest one to take.

Let’s deconstruct this for a moment. Gratitude is feeling thankful and appreciative for people, things, and sometimes everything in between. That warm feeling you get when you drive up to the coffee window and someone has just paid for yours, or the random man in the grocery store, for whatever reason, hands your family a $50 bill, and says it’s on him. <<< this happened. So if other people are creating experiences for other people like this, no matter what is going on in the NEWS my friends, let’s not promote what we hate. Let’s work to increase feelings of gratitude in ourselves and therefore in others we encounter through our positive actions.

5 Ways to Increase Gratitude:

Say thank you as your feet hit the floor. Are you in pain? No offense, I totally feel you, but for just a second, shift your thoughts right now as you get out of bed. Whatever your dominant foot is, as you swing it over the bed, the second it touches the floor, say thank you. Say thank you all the way to the bathroom, because that’s where you probably go first. Focus inward as you really let the words thank you settle into your entire being. This gets you ready for the next tip.

Using a dry-erase marker, write your positive affirmations on the mirra, that’s southern for mirror, and immediately look at them as you are waking up. I don’t know what others need to hear, but coming from 3 years of re-setting my mind to focus on others things instead of pain, I can tell you what I used. I am healthy (I wasn’t), I am whole, (I didn’t think so), and I am healing (I was, but couldn’t see it yet). So I would think to myself I am healthy and envision a healthy me for just a moment and be grateful for that health. I would picture myself whole, which to me at the time was without pain, anger, and depression. Lastly, I would see myself as healed. Someone my girls could look up to again. Not the pajama-clad fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, well you get the picture, mom I had become. Again, it was all about changing my perspective.

Journal it down. My writings at first were not really full of gratitude. They actually seemed full of other feelings that I was trying to get away from. So instead of that, I cut myself loose from anyone and anything that created the opposite of what I was really and truly trying to create for myself in my life. I started un-becoming everything I was not. I created a pattern of healing for myself by first going to the worst parts. I deconstructed my fear. Then I didn’t look back. I wrote what I was happy about each day until gradually, I didn’t think about what went wrong as much.

Yoga or meditation. Yes, eventually, after all the pain, I became a yoga teacher. But I started out slowly. We all have to start somewhere, remember? Here is a post about what I did to start my journey, so you can read a bit more on restorative yoga. This allowed me to still the patterns of my mind and practice an age-old flowing meditation. Please don’t mistake yoga for something it is not. It is not a religion. It is quite simply a method for dealing with the suffering of life. As I started meditation, one yogi told me it can be your time to get closer to God or whatever you believe by listening to your inner wisdom that actually can be God trying to talk to you. It is simply a way to practice mindfulness and inner stillness in this very face paced world.

Practice pausing in your day. This one is very important because so often, we react first. What if what the other person said to you actually wasn’t about you at all? Yes, it feels that way all the time. I am a Scorpio who is quick to anger…need I say more? What if, for just a moment, the hurtful feelings we got from the e-mail, message or phone call, was paused. Like on TV. Okay, now we have a moment to look at it. You know what, Bob looked stressed out today didn’t he? I wonder if he has too much on his plate and someone already chewed him out, so when he sent this, he in turn, did the same to me because that was the energy he was feeling? I don’t have to continue the pattern. This isn’t even about me at all. Maybe I will go around the corner and say hey, Bob, what can I do to help you? Bob will certainly be surprised. He may even start to feel grateful, as well as sorry, but that’s his stuff, so I am going to promote what I love instead of bashing him right back.

Research has shown through decades of studies, that practicing gratitude can, in fact, have powerful and lasting effects on physical well-being, social relationships, and most importantly self-worth. So often we get caught in a cycle that needs to be broken, and guess what happens when we take back control? Research again reports that we develop stronger immune systems, better sleep, and less pain and aches. Well I’ll be…an example of this. From not moving to yoga teacher…I hope you start some of these practices today! Need even more help? Try this E-book here.

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Hi friends, wellness can be yours again! Not long ago, I was trapped in my body and it was a completely devastating feeling. I would get up sometime around 10 or 11a.m. I would stay in my pajamas, and I would wander downstairs to take my medicine and slowly make my way to the couch. On good days, I would put clothes on…and maybe even make it to the grocery store. On bad days, the other 6 days of the week, I would not make it anywhere. I started to believe that was my life. That was where I was going to stay. I live with 7 invisible diseases, and the last 3 were autoimmune related as well as fibromyalgia, which caused increasing amount of inflammation and pain. I put on 25 extra pounds which looked like more. You could see it in my face, belly, and thighs.

What does this have to do with you?

Are you feeling lost and unsure of your future wellness goals?

Do you feel like you could get things together if you only had the guidance?

Did you suddenly look at your weight and think…how did I get here???

Are you stuck in a rut doing the same things everyday, not seeing results, but you want to do more…be more…live more????

If you answered yes to any of the above, then this program is for you!!

I am sure you have tried many different things by now to improve your health, and I want you to know, it’s not your fault. I was in the exact same place you are in. I have helped coach hundreds of people who did not know the things that I am about to share with you during this program. What you are about to learn in only 4 short weeks literally took me 18 years of research. It’s hard to believe that you could be seeing results like I saw in less than 30 days, but it really and truly changes your perspective on wellness and what that really means!

This program is not like others because I am not trying to get you to buy anything else. I am not selling you a magic potion, shakes, or anything of that nature. I am merely re-training you to do what was inside of you all along. You are guided through 4 weeks with only one task a day, and a new workbook each week that outlines the reasons behind the daily tasks and includes great resources.

As I began to work through the 4 areas of wellness, my life started to change. I was losing weight within the first few months without even exercising. I constantly repeated my goals, and kept track of how my body was reacting. I went from hardly being about to walk, move or have any strength at all, to being able to do things I never thought I was going to be able to do again!

Signs of autoimmune are apparent in my puffy features…but not after!

Why listen to me?

I have reversed the pain from my fibromylagia and I became certified in Vinyasa Yoga after 200 hours of training…something I would not have been able to do prior to my plan. I then went on to complete more hours in yoga for Pain and Arthritis as well as get certified in Sports Nutrition. I know what we need to eat to get optimal results. The plan is much more affordable than any monthly gym membership, and gives you everything need to do this at home. This is so important if you are trying to change your life, but going to a gym right now is virtually impossible or a scary thought. By the end of the 4 weeks, you will have learned enough to continue implementing the strategies at home, and possibly even be ready for some group exercise or even yoga like me! You will have everything you need to do this at home. I believe in you and am ready to support you if you are ready to say YES!

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What’s happening hot stuff? If you did not get the reference, click the link. The rest of us are moving on right after our trip to the 80’s.

This post is to just update you, the loyal reader, about a few things that are different. I would absolutely love it if you would use the sharing buttons that I am updating on this blog and share anything you find relevant with your social media platform of choice. I have heard that the way of the Facebook is yet again going to get difficult, but that being said you can copy links and share them directly to your friend’s personal page, your page, or in messages. I have Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and I had a Pinterest button. I have to check on that to see if it still works because…I changed my HOST!! It seems to be going well, but I am learning my way around the dashboard. As always, my Facebook fan page is growing, but I want more of those nice fans over here.

So here’s how you can help me out, do that awesome thing you do where you tell friends about this blog. Friends who struggle with life, anxiety, depression, invisible disease, and friends who seem well-adjusted, because let’s face it, we all struggle. We do. It’s just that some of us decided to live out loud with our truths and others are afraid of what might happen if they do that. And that’s okay. But the ones who seem happy, and the light just doesn’t reach the eyes, you are the ones I am trying to reach. You are not alone in your “fappiness” (word made up by me). So my friends, share away. And comment if it moves your soul. More to come tomorrow…

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Things you should do more of this year…as the word resolution has never sat well with me.

Tell someone you love them everyday.

Laugh daily.

Make eye contact with a stranger and smile.

Say thank you and mean it.

Appreciate the good in your life.

Start each day on your terms. Decide what the day is going to be like.

Trust yourself more.

If the choice is anger or kindness…count down in your head. You’ll make a better choice.

No self-pity. That’s right. If for one second you start, re-direct your thoughts to the gifts you possess (p.s. harder to do).

Choose friends who love and approve of you…not bring out the negative.

Some of these might be hard for you to do; however, you can and you must refocus your thoughts this year. It is not time to dwell on what went wrong. What happened is over. Let it be.

Thank you for finding me on “the Twitter” and my Facebook page. Re-vitalize your life by checking out my tab “Vitalize You” or my brand-new online course that helps you start changing your habits in as little as 4 weeks!

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Sometimes I meet people and I think, if only there was a way I could change their thoughts. Well, the truth is, they have to want to change their thoughts. I asked a friend for a suggestion on her favorite positive affirmation video, and she sent me this link. I think you will enjoy it, so just watch without any negative thoughts entering if you can:

So, ignore the part about “Law of Attraction” if that isn’t your thing, but seriously, positive thoughts do change your day. Get to the part about 2 minutes 50 secs in and think about what things you have appreciated today. If the answer is none, well then, you just basically solved my question.

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Sometimes you are given great advice and you have to decide if you are going to let your pride get in the way or if you are going to follow the advice with your heart. So today, I decided on this random Monday, to listen with my heart instead of my ego. We ALL do this by the way. At one time or another, we let some strong emotions guide our decisions instead of really, truly, digging way down deep and finding the good advice we know is there.

So, today, your task is to start new habits. When you come from a place of pain, whether it’s fibromyalgia or other illnesses, as soon as you wake up, do not think about how hard the day is going to be. Do not think of your to-do list. Do not think of the tasks ahead which are so difficult to get through you dread them. No. Take a dry-erase pen, and write some daily affirmations on your bathroom mirror. Make that the first thing you see. I am healing. I am getting better. Philippians 4:13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Whatever it is to get you moving in a good way. Repeat every morning until you believe them…so basically, as long as it takes.

If you do the same thing every single day, consider something new to get you moving and thinking. I am one to talk. So it’s time to start doing something different. I was reading an article called Can You Become a Creature of New Habits? This struck me as something I needed to do…”a Japanese technique called kaizen, which calls for tiny, continuous improvements.” M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book “This Year I Will…” states that “Whenever we initiate change, even a positive one, we activate fear in our emotional brain,” Ms. Ryan notes in her book. “If the fear is big enough, the fight-or-flight response will go off and we’ll run from what we’re trying to do. The small steps in kaizen don’t set off fight or flight, but rather keep us in the thinking brain, where we have access to our creativity and playfulness.”

So it’s time to initiate change. A positive one. Create a habit of excellence with tiny, continuous improvements. In other words, baby steps to a new you.

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Goals seem to be wildly popular over on my FB quote page. So, today, I am talking about change. I posted this quote “It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and other are not.” A guy named James Gordan said that. I want you to think about it for a minute. All the times people have “changed” what they were doing or eating only to fall back in a “rut”. The truth is, they weren’t ready. They really weren’t. My biggest problem was food. I have “fixed” that. It is currently my lack of energy and pain. Now, some things we can change, and others might be a bit out of our control; however, I decided to take this quote one step further by realizing I can have mini-goals. These mini-goals allow me to focus on one thing at a time and make fixing the bigger picture seem less out-of-control.

I changed my losing weight goal to increments of 5. Easy. I like that much better. I changed my sugar detox to a splurge only once in a while because this mess gets on my nerves. Easy. I split a creme brûlée with my girlfriend on Saturday and felt better. I changed working out every single day, ha, ridiculous, to doing some sort of exercise daily. Even light house cleaning counts on My Fitness Pal. Whoa. It cancelled the calories out. I win. Winning. Winner winner chicken dinner. Got carried away…anyway, these mini-goals are really helping. Lastly, daily affirmations. I am about to start my “mirror board” where I put all kinds of things on it to look at daily. Result baby. Results.

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Join us in our exclusive group where a healthy mindset is our goal. >>> Head. Stop the cycle of unwanted thoughts. Heart. Connect with your inner most desires, wishes and dreams. Health. Learn how to take control of your wellness.<<< Are you longing for more freedom to be you? Would you like a change in who you are surrounding yourself with? Would you like the confidence to be who you really are with just a little help? Come join us under the Head|Heart|Health Club tab.